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P. P. LAMONTAGNE.

KNITTING MACHINE AND NEEDI E THEREFOR. APPLICATION FILED 050.1. 1917.

1 ,32 1 ,646; Patented Nov. 11, 1919'.

v Fig.1.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

lnv entor. PaTricK F? La Moniagne ym MAM ATTys.

P. P. LA MONTAGNE.

KNITTING MACHINE AND NEEDLE THEREFOR. I

APPLICATION FILED 050.1.1911.

1,321,646. I Patented Nov. 11,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Fig.4.

lnvenTor. Patrick F. La MonTugne by M W13! Any s.

NITE sTA Es PATENT OFFICE;

PATRICKP. LAIMONTAGNE, or BOI'IaBoNNAIs ILLINOIs, ASSIGNOR To PARAMOUNT KNITTING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIs, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

KNITTING-MACHINE AND NEEDLE THEREFOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented NOV. 11, 1919.

Application filed December 7, 1917. Serial No. 205,982. i

- a To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PATRICK P. LA MON- TAoNn, a citizen of the United States, residing atBourbonnais, county of Kankakee, State of Illinois,.have invented an Improvement in Knittin Machines and Needles Therefor, of whlch the following descripwhichthe latch member is physically separate from the hook member and a relative movement takes place, between the two needle members in efiecting their cooperaang or retractin the hook member to the tion, and also to a' construction of such needles. I

In one type ofthe separate latch needle knitting machine the'needle consists of a hook member and a separate latch member each provided with a pair of oppositely disposed shoulders, the separation of the members of the one pair of shoulders being greater than the separation of the members of the other pair, and to an extent sufficient to secure the required relative movements of the needle members, asbetween the yarn-receiving and casting ofl positions of the needle, and as requiredin the covering and uncovering of the hook by the latch.

It is frequently necessary in the operation of the machine and in knitting to throw one or more ofthe needles out of action andthen restore such needles into action as, for ex-' ample, when reciprocating work is performed upon a circular knitting machine. Thus in the case of knitting the heel and toe portions of a stocking it is necessary first to throw out of'action the set of needles employed in knitting the instep, then at the end of each reciprocation to throw out of actlon one or more of the remaining needles in the narrowing operation, then to restore into action at the end of each reciprocation one Or more of the needles last thrown out for the widening operation, and then to restore into action the set of needles first thrown out.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide for the required throwing out of action and restoring into actlon of separate videdwith. a pairv of oppositely disposed latch needles wherein each member is pro:

shoulders for the purpose and having the.

.function above described. Such a needle is usually operated by cams acting upon a butt projectin from the hook member. A knittlng mac 1ne needle is customarily thrown out of action by projecting the needle above or beyond its normal yarn-receivin position sothat it will be out of the path 0 the actuatlng cam and will consequently not'be depressed or retracted to take yarn in the fur-.

ther operation of the machine. If both members of a separate latch needle be thus pro ected the needle can not be restored to yarn-receiving position simply by depressposition from which it was projected out of actionbecause by reason of the relative movement which takes place between the hook and latch members the? latch member -Will, when the hook is restored to normal machine and of needle which provide for throwing the needleout of action and restoring it into action so arranged that, when the hook member is given an abnormal movement or is projected beyond its normal yarn: receiving position to throw the needle out of action, the latch member will be released from movement with the hook member and will not move materially beyond its normal yarn-receiving position and will instead bebed for the latch member, by he -"g mtllc lower set of cooperating shoulders on v: hook and latch member, and so positioning the recess or deepened portion of the groove gether in the projecting movement of the needle with the lower shoulders L11 contact that when the needle members moving toreach or pass the normal yarn-receiving position, the latch -member will be cammed back by the beveled shoulders into the recess or deepened groove and the latch member will escape from or be freed from the hook member allowing the hook member to continue its projecting movement. without further movement of the latch member. In other words the needle members of this invention are provided with means acting to effect the cooperating movements of the latch member during the retracting movements and the projecting movements of the hook member and to release the latch member from movement with the hook-member upon an abnormal projecting movement of the hook member.

The principles of this invention may be secured in various ways and by various types of mechanism, but the invention is herein exemplified in a familiar circular type of knittingmachine in which two sets of needles are employed, the. one set having butts longer than the other set, in which a switch cam is employed which when thrown into one position acts to effect the elevation of the set of needles having the longer butts and which when thrown into another position acts to depress the set of needleshaving the longer butts and also preferably any needles having the shorter butts which have been left projected, in

' which picker and dropper mechanism is provided, the former acting selectively to project as required needles having the shorter butts and thejlatter acting selectively to restore such needles. In this type of mechanism no particular change in the adjustment and operation of the. switch cam, picker mechanism, and dropper mechanism is required, and these parts all operate in their customary manner;

Theforegoing and other objects of the invention will appear more fully from the ac companying description and drawings and will be' particularly pointed out in the claims.

The drawings showso much of an ordinary type of circular knitting machine and needle as is necessary to a disclosure of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view partially in horizontal cross section showing the general construction of this circular type of knitting machine with the various cams, picker mechanism and dropper mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a view chiefly in central vertical cross section of a portion of the knitting machine, showin a preferred form of construction embodying this invention and with the needle approaching or in normal yarnreceiving position;

Fig. 3 is a view of a portion of the construction shown in Fig. 2 with the needle in the present invention and the general con-' struction and operation of such machines being well known and familiar to those skilled in the art it isunnecessary either to illustrate or describe the entire machine.

It will be sufiicient to note that the machine here disclosed as a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a bed plate 1, a cylinder 2, a concentric gear ring 3 rotatably mounted in the bed plate and driven by a gear 4 from the main shaft 5, a cam carrier 6 concentrically mounted on the bed plate and moving with the gear ring, a cam ring 7 concentrically mounted within the cam carrier and driven thereby but vertically movable with respect thereto. The cylinder is held against rotary movement with re-' spect to the needle bedbut is vertically adjustable to vary the length of stitch when the needles are performing the ordinary knitting operation. To enable this to be done without changing the relative projected position of the needle with respect to the top of the cylinder and thus possibly increasing the cross sectional area of the combined latch and hook members projecting through the loop the lower or projecting cam is arranged to .be moved, or to be vertically adjustable, with the cylinder. For this purpose the cylinder is supported by a suitable support or rod 8. The cam ring 7 is provided with an annular flange at its bottom resting upon a ring support 9. This ring support s connecte to move with the cylinder as by the vertical studs '10 and the cam ring is secured to the cam carrier so as to in a narrower groove 17 formed in the cyl- I inder back of the groove for the hook member. The hookmember presents the usual hook 1S and beneath or in the rear of the hook is longitudinally and transversely slotted. At the opposite end of its shank the hook member is provided with the usual laterally extending butt 19 and at some suit- \able point and preferably on the shank near the end is provided with a pair of oppositely disposed shoulders 20 and 21. The lowermost shoulder or that, shoulder which acts in the projecting movement of the.needle is beveled or inclined as shown.

The latch member is provided with a pointed head 22 sliding through the slot in the hook member into and out of cooperation with the hook and the shank of the latch member is extended and provided with a pair of oppositely disposed shoulders 23 and 24 located between arid cooperating respectively with the shoulders 20 and 21 of the hook member to give the required move ments to the latch member from the hook member. The lowermost shoulder 24 is beveled or inclined as illustrated to correspond with the shoulder 21 on the hook member.

A recess or deepened portion 25 of the latch .groove 17 is located at theupper end of the latch groove and -is of such a length that when the latch member is projected to reach its normal yarn-receiving position or has passed slightly beyond 1ts normal yarnreceiving position the latch member may fit in this recess 25 and allow.the shoulder 21 of the latch member.

of the hook member to ride past the face The shoulders 21 and 24 are beveled or inclined so that as the needle is moving in its projectin movement wlth these shoulders in contact t ey will act 20 of the hook'member Whenthe hook memher in its retracting movement approaches or reaches thenormal yam-receiving posi-' ThegeneralYopei-ation of the needle will be apparent; when the butt of the hook member is. projected the hook member is moved along until its shoulder 21 contacting with the shoulder 24 of the latch member picks up the latch member, when the two members move together with the hook un-.

covered and in the relation shown, for example, 1n Fig, hey continue in this relative position until the needle reaches the normal yarn-receiving position. Upon the reverse or retracting inoveme-nt the hook member moves alone until its shoulder 20 contacts with the shoulder 23 of the latch member when it picks up the latch member and the members move together with the .hook covered by the point of the latch. In .the rojecting movement of the needle when the latch comes opposite the recess 25 if the projecting movement is continued, as for example, to throw the needle out of action, the shoulders 21 and 24 act to cam the latch back into the recess 25 whereupon it is released from movement with the hook i K I rides in the body of its groove 17 member and the hook member continues in its projecting movement alone and may be left thusabnormally projected throwing the entire needle out of'action. When the npe dle is to be thrown into action the book member is retginted and moves alone until it reaches n01 a1 yarn-receiving positionand when in its normal yarnrec'eiving p0 sition the latch member is, also in its normal yarn-receiving position because it has never moved from that position. The. lower end of the recess 25 is inclined or beveled as shown at 26 and the lower end'of the shank of the latch is.correspondingly;- in: clined, or beveled; n27 so that-as. thef-hook member is further retracted andlthe shoul ders 20 andf23 come into contact the member is cammed out of the recess and In the normal knittingvoperation the'butts 35 of the hook members of the needles rest upon the top of the cam ring 7 and 'asthe cam is rotated with respect to the cylinder the needles are reciprocated by the action of the knitting cams112 and 13 in the usualmam ner.

One set of needles preferably has itsbutts I 28 longer'than the butts19 of-the other set in order that the set ofneedles having the longer butts may be thrown out ofaction independently of the otherset, as,-for example, when reciprocating knitting is to "be performed. n I a The general t pe of means selected'asf a preferred embodiment of the invention for throwing the various needlesout "of action and restoring them into actionas required. is of a familiar type and need only be described ina general way-.1. Sucha mechanism in its main features is shown in the patent to" Mayo No.'726,17 8 granted April21, 1903.

For throwing the setoffineedles aving the longer butts out of 'acti'ona'nd re toring them into action asuitable wedge-shaped cam 29 is. employed mounted upon: a shaft 30 rot'atably'and longitudinally movable in a bearing 31 radially supported from the gear ring 3. T This cam 2 9;di1ring the ordinary circular knitting operation stands in elevated position and travels in a path above the butts. When the set of needles having the longer buttsare to be thrown out of ac-' tion the shaft 30 is rotated and at the same time moved longitudinally outwardly to bring the point of the cam 29 into its depressed position below the path of'the butts 28. This movement of the cam may be effected manually or'automatically, in the latter case by some such means as the automatic positioning of the cam 32 in the path of the crank arm 33 extendin from the shaft 30.

In this depressed position as the gear ring is rotated the upper surface of the cam 29 rides beneath the butts 28 and raises or projects the butts to a position where they are caught by the upper surface 34 of the cam 13 and are further elevated thereby and ride therealong.

When this section of needles is to be restored to knitting position the cam 29 is -rotated'the needles are all retracted or restored to a position where they are within the path of the depressing or retracting cam v 13. This operation may be performed either manually or by the usual type of automatic mechanism of the machine.

For selectively throwing the shorter butt needles out of action and restoring them into action, as in reciprocating knitting, suitable mechanism such as a well known type of picker mechanism and dropper mechanism may be employed and is herein- In the type illustrated the.

illustrated.

' picker mechanism and the dropper mechanism are shown as separate instrumentalities. When the reciprocating knitting is taking place the gear ring 3 is given an oscillating or reciprocating motion. Upon this gear ring at one side are mounted the pickers 37 and at an opposite point the dropper 38 and all are constructed a d operate in a manner well known to tho e skilled in the art. a

4 The pickers 37 at their effective ends are notched at 39 sufficiently to receive the butts of one ormore needles according to the number to'be thrown out of action at each end of each reciprocation. Each picker-37.

is mounted to pivot vertically in a post 40 and each post is mounted to pivot horizontally on the gear ring 3. 'The shanks of the picker extend through cam slots 41. in a guide plate 42 also secured to the gear ring 3. The length of the pickers is such that when in radial position the pickers will just clear the bodies of the needles-and the heads of the pickers will pass above or beneath the buttsso that during circular knitting the needles are idle. The posts 40 are placed apart a distance longer than t e amount of lost motion between the gear' rin and cam carrier so that at each change of of movement the cam carrier operates "to carry first one and then the other of the pickers into position in front of the cam section 13 trailing the other 'pickerupon the outside of the sa1d cam, "but neither .picker can be trailed behind the cam section without causing it to swing hori-iontally with the post 40 and clear the said cam. This swinging movement in cooperation with the cam surface 41 on the guide plate 42 causes the swinging direction memes picker to be depressed into its lowermost poby the lost motion between the gear ring and cam carrier brought in front of the retracting cam surface of the cam 13 in its lowermost position and its notch 39 will thereupon engage the butt or butts to be elevated or projected. As the rotation of the gear ring continues the butts thus seized hold the picker against rotation and the picker slides up the cam surface 41 on the guide plate 42 and takes with it the engaged butt until the butts are in line with the upper surface 34 of the cam 13. The needle butts are then lifted by this cam surface onto and ride therealongand the needles are held in the elevated or projected position in the usual mannerf The picker then clears itself from the'butts as the needles are forced upwardly by the inclined ends of the cam surface 34 and springs back into its normal radial position. This operation continues reversely with the two pickers and thus 'at each end of each reciprocation one or more needles are elevated or projetted and thus thrown out of action causing the narrowing operation. The widening operation then takes place in a similar but reverse manner through the action of the dropper 38 which is a symmetrically shaped device horizontally and vertically pivoted in a bearing 43 on the gear ring 3. This dropper 38 is notched at each side and at the bottom of its 'end to receive the butts of one or more of the needles according to the number to be depressed at the end of each reciprocation. It stands out of the path of the needles and, when called into operation preferably by automatic mechanism such for example as the sliding cam plate 44 automatically actuated by the crank arm 45 by the mechanism of the machine at the required time, it is guided to-a position in line with the butts of the elevated or projected needles so that at the end of each reciprocation the butts of the needles at the endof the row of needles out of action ride into one of the notches in the end of the dropper. As the reciprocating movement continues the dropper is forced downwardly in the cam slot of its guide plate, herein not shown for clearness of illustration, and

forced downwardly carrying with it and similar manner. In thewidening operation the dropper is generally arranged to depress a greater number of needles than the pickers elevate, for example, the picker may remain in operation each elevating say one needle at the end of each reciprocation and the dropper depressing two needles at each end of each reciprocation so that as a net result one needle is brought back into operation at each end of each reciprocation and thus the widening ofthe knitting secured. But the particularconstruction and operation of the picker mechanism and the dropper mechanism is not involved in this invention and this general explanation will be sufiicient to those skilled in the art. i

In the present invention the needles when in their normal projected or yarn-receiving position generally stand as indicated in Fig.

2, that is, with the shoulder'21 of the hook member in contact with the shoulder 24 of the latch member and with the lower end of the latch member slightly below the lower s end of. the recess 25. Thus the latch member is not forcedinto the recess 25 nor placed in position so that it may slipinto thereoess 25 durin the normal knitting operations but if it 1s desired the normal projected or yarn-receiving position of the needle may bebrought by the action of. the shoulder-"21 of; a the hook member upon the shoulder 24 of the latch member. In this position the point ofthe latch member is separated from the" hookand lies within the slot in the hook member. i

In the 'present invention the needles thrown out of action. whether by the switch cam or by the picker mechanism jarerusually seized when in their normal yarn-receiving or projected position. When this takes place the hook member is projected well above its normal yarn-receiving position and to a position such as shown, for example, in Fig. 3.

If the recess 25is so located-that the latch member will slip into the recess each time the needle is projected to Ynormal yarn-receiving position then when'n' this abnormal projecting movement ofsthe ook member takes place the hook memberwill move without moving the latch member. If, however, as is preferable, the latch member does not vquite come opposite the recess 25 in the normal knitting operation them when this abnormal projecting movement of the hook member takes place the latch member will be carried back into the recess and will consequently receive a very slight projecting movement but not s'ufiicient to move it substantially out of its normal yarn-receiving.

which the hook member has been brought by the hook member the butts of the hook members slide up onto the surface 34-of the cam.

When the'needles are to be restored into action either by the action of the switch cam or by the actionof the droppermechanism the'butt of the hook member is depressed. As the hook member is thus retracted it moves without imparting any movement to the latch member until bothmembers of the needle then stand in normal yarn-receiving position, any slight variation in the'position of the latch member being immaterial, and the needle is thus restored to action. During further retracting movement the shoulder 20 of the hook member coming in contact with the shoulder 23 of thelatch member depresses the latch memuntil the shoulder 21 comes into contact with the shoulder 24: thus moving the hook member awa from the latch po1nt and then continues t e projecting movement of the hook memberand with it the latch meinber until the butt 19 rides out onto the top of the cam ring 7 and the needle is then in position &7 or the normal yarn-receiving position. If now a set of needles such as those having the longer butts 28, is to be thrown out of act-ion, the butts 28 then ride along the cam ring 7 into contact with the upperjsurface of the switch cam 29, which is depressed to receive them, and slide' up along the cam surface. At the beginning of this movement the latch member comesopposite the recess. 25 and is cammed "back thereinto by the action of the shoulders 21 and24,thus releasing the latch member while the hook .member, continues its projected movement until the butts 28 are either in line with or slightly below the top surface 34 of the cam 13 and if below are brought to the top'by the inclined edges of the cam and thus the cam moves by without retracting the hook members and the needle remains out of action occupying the position, shown in posi tion-48 of Fig. 4. Asthe knitting operation continues and reciprocating work takes place, for example, and selected shorter butt needles are to be thrown out of action the picker 37 acting in the usual manner seizes the butt 19 then resting upon the top of the cam rin 7 and by an action similar to that describe brings the eedle .to position 49 or a position similar to position 48. As the knitting operation continues and a selected short butt needle is to be restored into action the dropper 38 swings over the butt 19 and retracts the hook member bringing it to normal yarn-receiving position and as the latch member does not move the two members of the needle then stand in position 50 which it will be noted is substantially the same, so far as the yarn-receiving factor is concerned, as position 17. The only difference is that the latch member in position 50 is swung away from the hook member at the lower end of its shank and may be very slightly projected beyond the position shown in 47 but not to an extent substantially affecting its yarn-receiving position. As the knitting continues and the set of needles having the longer butts are to be restored into action the switch cam 29 is swung into elevated position and rides past the butts of the projected needles preferably also being .moved inwardly so as to catch the butts of the shorter needles if any should remain projected. This cam then acts to retract the hook member to, and leave both members of the needle in, the same position as last described and as illustrated in position 51. As the normal knitting operation is resumed and the cam 13 reaches the butts of the needles either in position or 51 and retracts the hook members the latch members will be cammed out of the recesses and the needle members will assume. the position shown in position 46.

It will thus be seen that the cross sectional area of the needle when it is thrown out of action is not increased by projecting the latch therewith which is particularly important in the finer grades of work, and further that when the needle is restored into action both members are in normal yarn-receiving position so that the knitting operation is in no way affected.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A knitting machine comprising a needle bed, a needle consisting of a hook member and a separate latch member reciprocable in said bed to effect the required projecting and casting off movements and movable relatively to effect the cooperation of the hook and latch, and means to give an abnormal PIOjGCtiIIg movement to the hook member to throwthe needle out of action without projecting the latch member substantially beyond its normal yarn-receiving position.

2. A knitting machine comprising a needle bed, a needle consisting of a hook member and a separate latch member reciprocable in said bedto effect the required projecting and casting 'ofi' movements and move the hook and latch, and means to release the latch member from reciprocating movement with the hook member when the hook -mem ber is given an abnormal movement to throw the needle out of and to restore it into action. j

3. A knitting machine comprising a needle bed, a needle consisting of a hook member and a separate latch member reciprocable in said bed to effect the required projectmg and casting ofi movements and movable relatively to effect the cooperation of the hook and latch, and means to release the latch. member from and retain it against reciprocatin movement with the hook member when the hook member is given an' ab normal movement to. throw the needle out of and to restore it into action.

4. A knitting machine needle comprlsmg a hook member, a separate latch member, cooperating shouldersion said members for effecting the retracting movement of the latch member from thehook member and cooperating beveled shoulders on said members acting to efi'ect the projecting movement of the latch member from the hook member so long as-relative transverse movement is prevented and acting when such relative transverse-movement is permitted to cam the said members apart transversely upon a continued projecting movement of the hook member. 4

5. A knitting machine needle comprising a hook member, a separate latch member, means on said members for effecting the retracting movement of the latch member from the hook member, and means on said members acting to effect the projecting movement of the latch member from the hook member so long as relative transverse movement is prevented and actlng when such relativev transverse movement per mitted to effect the transverse separation of said members upon the continued projecting movement of-the hook member. n

6. A knitting machine needle comprismg a longitudinally slotted hook member provided with separated opposing shoulders on its shank on the face opposite the hook, the lower shoulder being outwardly beveled, and a-separate latch member having a head projecting through said slot, a shank extending opposite the shouldered face of the hook member, and a shouldered projection GXtBIldiIlg between the said shoulders on the hook member, the lower shoulder on said projection being beveled to correspond wlth the cooperating shoulder on the hook member.

7 A knitting machine needle comprising a hook member having a projecting butt and a latch member, the said members provided with means acting to effect the cooperatlng movements of the latch member during the 65 able relatively to eflect the cooperationgof retracting movements, and the normal" proj ecting movements of the hook member and to release the latch member from movement by the hook member upon an abnormal proj ecting movement of said hook member.

8. A knitting machine comprising a needle consisting of a hook member and a separate latch member, a needle bed provided with superimposed grooves for said members, the upper section of the latch member groove being deeper than the lower section, cooperating shoulders on said members for effecting the retracting movement of the latch member from the hook member, cooperating beveled shoulders for efi'ecting the projecting movement of the latch memher from the hook member, the said beveled shoulders also cooperating upon an extended projecting'movement of the hook member to cam the latch member into the deeper section of its groove and to allow projecting movement of the hook member to continue without projecting farther the latch memher.

9. A knitting machine having the construction and operation defined in claim 8 in which the lower end of the said deepened portion of thelatch member groove is inclined and the lower opposing end of the latch, member is correspondingly inclined, whereby when the latch member is retracted by the hook member the said latch member is cammed out of said deepened portion.

10. A knitting machine needle bed for separate latch needles having a groove for the hook member of the needle, a superimosed narrower groove for the latch mem er of the needle, and a superimposed recess at the end of the latch membergroove to receive the latch member and hold it in substantially yarn-receiving position when the needle is thrown out of action.

11. A knitting machine needle bed having the construction defined in claim 10 in which the lower or inward end of the said recess therein is inwardly inclined.

12. A knitting machine comprising a cylinder, a set of needles reciprocable therein, each consisting of a hook member having a-projecting butt and a latch member, the said members provided with means acting to effect the cooperating movements of the latch member during the retracting movements and the normal projecting movements of the hook member and acting to release the latch members from movement by the hook member upon an abnormal projecting movement of said hook member, a needlestruction defined in claim 13 and also presenting a projecting shoulder between the head and he end of the shank.

15. A hook IIJIIlbBI' for a separate latch knitting machine needle having a shank formed to present oppositely disposed spaced shoulders with the shoulder nearer the end of the shank outwardly inclined or beveled.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

PATRICK P. LA MONTAGNE. 

